St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-11-30
The Poor, Whose SuffepingS
Are Great Since Cold
Weather Came.
Unusual Destitution Said to
Be Noticeable in the City
This Year.
A Poor Woman Who Was Sick
When Turned Out of Her
lodgings.
Blind Sarah, Whose Sight May
Be Restored After Fifteen
Years Darkness.


There is much restitution throughout
st. Paul, and the severely cold weather
has augmented the SufferingS OF the
poor ten-fOld. According to statements
from the officials of the relief society.
the number of these unfOrtunateS has
largely increased from immigration and
other sources during the past year, and
they are i'll more pitiable condition
than they have been for years. This
relates more particularly to the Irish
poor, who are suffering intensely. Such
a state of affairs is not confined to the
city alone, but exist, to an unaSuaF de-
gree in North and South st. Paul and
the suburbs. Though the members of
the relief society are doing what they
can. their work is necessarily restricted
by want of articles of wearing apparel
and bedclOthes. They are utterly UNI
able to provide for the applicants for
aid, who average about fifteen each day,
and an application neceSSitates a great
deal of labor. As soon as it is. made,
Mr. HutchinS, the general agent, i'm
vestigateS the case to see that it is
deserving. This often requires
long drive in the cold
and a second one to carry the
articles applied for. Owing TO the very
limited financial and other means of the
society, such precautionary measures
are considered necessary in order to
prevent a systematic method of robbery
by persons totally unworthy, often prac-
ticed against charitable institutions.
The society requests that all those hay-
ing a cast-away lot of wearing apparel
and bedclOthes to bundle them up and
send them to their rooms on Ninth
street. near jackson. Clothing for
children is especially desired.
A GLOBE reporter called there yester-
day. Seated about the Secretary,S room
were many
OBJECTS OF CHARITY
of different ages and nationalltleS, all
waiting their turn with that patience
born of long want and suffering. One
old lady i'll a thin calico dress, entirely
unmindful of her own wants, was try
Ing TO find some clothes for her little six
year-Old boy.
Secretary Hall searched through the
incredibly small ltOck on hand, and
finally found a coat Of the required size.
Now, my little man." he said, kindly,
''try this on. 1t is all have" and to
the dminutive form he fitted worn
summer jacket. 1t was pitiful to see
the look of affection on the face of the
old lady as she gazed at her boy.
mingled with little disappointment,
and yet she was as grateful as though
the articles had been many and warm.
She was told to come again in a day or
two. by which time Mr.. Hall hoped to
find something more comfortable. At
this point a little diversion occurred
in the scene. A few nights ago Mr..
Hutchins found an old lady quite sick.
who, having no place to go, was fur
niShed an imprOviSed bed in the so
cietyS rooms. 1t seems she had made
arrangements for room in house, but
Saturday night when she went there
the woman refused to let her i'll, and
she was turned adrift into the raging
storm of wind and snow and the society
kindly cared for her. AT this point Mr..
HutchinS appeared i'll the doorway and
remarked: "Mr. Hall. in the house we
found a room for the sick woman there
Is a child sick with fever. We will be
obliged to keep her here little while
longer, as | won't take her into tia
house if have to provide accOmm0da-
tiOns at my own expense. so 1t was
decided.
BLIND GIRL.
The next applicant was girl called
Blind Sarah" living in an alley off
Fillmore avenue. For fifteen years she
has been totally blind. and her sister.
with whom she lives. was said to be
wretchedly starving condition Ill
wretched house, where filth and foul
air reign supreme and where food is
often wanting. Her wants were
attended TO. Drs. Fulton and
Stewart have been treating her
gratuitOusly, as they do all poverty
stricken patients, and expect i'll few
days TO restore her sight by an opera
ton. The poor girl will indeed be fort
innate if her sight is restored and she
is permitted to gaze on the scenes in
Which she has lived SO long and which
to her have been known only in words.
\ new patient was received in the per-
son of August White. poor man living
at IIillman's lodging house. While
foOling with Il bottle of muriatic and
some other kind of acid. it suddenly eX-
pIoded and destroyed his eyesight. The
society took charge of him at once and
DrS. Fulton and Stewart are treating
his eyes.
"Our work has. merely begun, and we
expect an unusually large. unprece-
dented amount within few days" said
General Agent Hutchins. Il have a
horse and buggy, and make as high as
fifteen and twenty trips day. The
INDEBTEDNESS AND MISERY
| run across Is appalling. anu sui more
so when we think of our limited means.
As vet we have not furnished much
food and only do so ill extreme cases.
! These extreme eases are many more
than usual and will increase with the
winter.
This afternoon, in the rear room of
cold house. L found an old woman sick
with typhoid fever. Naturally, she was
visited by the city doctor, but his hands
are also full. Two sympathetic factory
girls were attending her alternately,
and even they. poor things. had as much
as they could do to attend to themselves.
Such cases are many, and the herOiSm
of many of these Woodworking girls is
something wonderful. They are ever
ready TO aid others in want, when in
want themselves, and their deeds of
kindness are never known"
1t is feared that. 10y reason of disease
brought OH by cold weather and hunger,
there will be more or less fatalities, and
those charitably disposed have no idea
what Il little help from each will amount
to in the end. 1t d a simple, ineXpen-
siye thing to send old. worn-out clothes
to the poor. and the knowledge of the
fact that many lives may be saved by
such things will be ample return.
HE PREFERS AMERICA.